How I Got Scammed By New York's Fake German Heiress
ELLE Australia|Summer 2020
ANNA DELVEY SAID SHE WAS WORTH MILLIONS. BUT RACHEL DELOACHE WILLIAMS FOUND OUT THE HARD WAY THAT IT WAS ALL A LIE
Anna Delvey
How I Got Scammed By New York's Fake German Heiress

IT WAS THE SCAM heard around the world. In 2017, it was revealed that the woman New York socialites knew as Anna Delvey, a German heiress who swanned around the most exclusive clubs and restaurants, had skipped out on multiple luxury hotel bills totaling tens of thousands, and written bad cheques to the tune of nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Far from being an heiress with a $90 million trust fund, she was, in fact, a Russian con artist and the daughter of a former truck driver.

With its gossipy details about the who’s who of NYC, its glimpses into the glamorous high life and its fitting ending – the woman at the heart of it charged with grand larceny – it was a story tailor-made for the media, which breathlessly covered every detail of the trial. But for Rachel DeLoache Williams, it was a nightmare. Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin, had befriended the Vanity Fair photo editor and treated her to lavish dinners, nights out, personal trainers and even a holiday to Morocco. But then it all fell apart…

The three of us – Kacy, the fitness trainer; Jesse, the videographer; and me, the friend – had come to Marrakech at Anna’s invitation. She had offered to pay for our flights, a luxurious private riad at La Mamounia, complete with three bedrooms, a butler and a pool, and all of our expenses. It sounded like a dream. But my last full day in Morocco – Thursday, May 18, 2017 – got off to a rocky start.

I had woken up to three new messages on my phone. The first was from Kacy, who had succumbed to a stomach bug and wanted to go home: Morning Rachel. I think I need to leave today, it read. The other two were from Jesse. He had gone to the tennis courts to film Anna during her private lesson, but when he arrived, she wasn’t there. She was asleep beside me, in the room we were sharing.

Bu hikaye ELLE Australia dergisinin Summer 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye ELLE Australia dergisinin Summer 2020 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

ELLE AUSTRALIA DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Books: Shelf-Care
ELLE Australia

Books: Shelf-Care

Find a little respite in this season’s most exciting new reads

time-read
5 dak  |
June/July 2020
ELLE Australia

Men's Rites

Deciding to go through a gender transition isn’t easy for anyone. But the hardest person for journalist Daniel Mallory ortberg to convince was himself

time-read
10+ dak  |
June/July 2020
Kick Start
ELLE Australia

Kick Start

In these uncertain times, louis vuitton’s artistic director nicolas ghesquière is looking to the past to help make sense of the future

time-read
3 dak  |
June/July 2020
ELLE Australia

Music: Everything Is Illuminated

Phoebe Bridgers is a musician who revels in the darkness, albeit having earned her place in the spotlight

time-read
6 dak  |
June/July 2020
SUPER NATURE ESCAPISM WILDERNESS BREATHING INFRESH AIR BATHING IN SUNSHINE
ELLE Australia

SUPER NATURE ESCAPISM WILDERNESS BREATHING INFRESH AIR BATHING IN SUNSHINE

IN THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY AND NEW HORIZONS, MODEL GEORGIA FOWLER HEADS FOR THE GREAT OUTDOORS

time-read
3 dak  |
June/July 2020
ELLE Australia

THE big CLEANSE

WE’VE PURGED OUR KITCHEN CABINETS OF SUGAR AND CULLED THE CLOTHES THAT DON’T SPARK JOY, BUT WE MAY HAVE ARRIVED AT THE MOST BENEFICIAL (AND EASIEST) CLEANSE OF ALL

time-read
6 dak  |
June/July 2020
ELLE Australia

TALKING to strangers

SINCE THE EARLY 1900S, AN AGONY AUNT HAS BEEN A WILLING EAR. BUT AT A TIME OF DMS AND ASKME-ANYTHINGS, SEEKING ADVICE FROM SOMEONE YOU DON’T KNOW HAS BECOME RISKY BUSINESS

time-read
8 dak  |
June/July 2020
singled OUT
ELLE Australia

singled OUT

WE’VE ENTERED AN ERA OF MYRIAD RELATIONSHIP STATUSES – COUPLED, FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS, OPEN, POLYGAMOUS, THREE-DIGITALDATES-IN-BUT UNSURE-WHERE-THIS-IS-GOING. But is flying solo the last taboo?

time-read
5 dak  |
June/July 2020
GYPSY CREEK
ELLE Australia

GYPSY CREEK

INTERIOR DESIGNER LOUELLA BOÌTELGILL TAKES US INSIDE HER QUIRKY BYRON BAY HINTERLAND CREATION, WHICH OVERFLOWS WITH A BEACHY, HAPPY VIBE

time-read
2 dak  |
June/July 2020
DRIVE: DESIGN in motion
ELLE Australia

DRIVE: DESIGN in motion

HOW THE HOTTEST INTERIOR TRENDS COULD DEFINE WHAT YOUR NEXT CAR LOOKS LIKE

time-read
2 dak  |
June/July 2020